Ideas worth spreading

Poems of war, peace, women, power

883,314 views |

Suheir Hammad |

TEDWomen 2010

• December 2010

Poet Suheir Hammad performs two spine-tingling spoken-word pieces: "What I Will" and "break (clustered)" -- meditations on war and peace, on women and power. Wait for the astonishing line: "Do not fear what has blown up. If you must, fear the unexploded."

Poet Suheir Hammad performs two spine-tingling spoken-word pieces: "What I Will" and "break (clustered)" -- meditations on war and peace, on women and power. Wait for the astonishing line: "Do not fear what has blown up. If you must, fear the unexploded."

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Suheir Hammad

Poet, playwright

See speaker profile

In her poems and plays, Suheir Hammad blends the stories and sounds of her Palestinian-American heritage with the vibrant language of Brooklyn to create a passionately modern voice.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.